Terminal connecter



Nw. 12, 1935. R A, BE. 2,020,819

TERMINAL CONNECTER Filed' July 25, 1955 INVENTOR Patented Nov. l2, i935 Jatraen PATENT OFFICE TERMINAL CONNECTER Robert A. Bell, Montclair, N. J., assigner to The Rajah Company, Bloomfield, N. I., a corpora- `tion off New Jersey Application July 25, 1933, Serial No. ti'' l Gleim. (Cl. T33-269) This invention relates to a terminal for electrical conductors. More specifically, the invention relates to a means and method o making an electrical contact between the central conductor of a heavily insulated wire and a terminal secured thereto. Prior to my invention, it had been customary to strip the insulation back for a. substantial distance from the end of the wire, so as to expose a substantial length of the central conductor, and to bend this exposed portion of the conductor back over the end of the wire so that it comes in contact with the terminal when placed over the wire. It has also been suggested to secure a terminal onto a cylinder wire, and at they same time to make connection therewith by inserting a woodV screw through the terminal into the central conductor so that its head holds the terminal in place on the wire. This suggestion has never proven satisfactory, because the screw is not adequately held by the wire, and tends to loosen and rattle out, thereby releasing the wire from the terminal, and breaking the electrical connection between the terminal and the central conductor. According to my present invention, the electrical connection between the central conductor l and the terminal is made by means ofa copper tack, nail, screw, etc., which is readily inserted into the end of the wire in contact with the conductor before the terminal is put in place, and the terminal is held onto the wire independently of the contact' member, whether nail, screw, or other form. I prefer, for this, to secure the ter minal to the conductor by crimping the end of a ferrule, as has been commonly practiced prior to my invention. l

By inserting the contact member only part way into the wire, and leaving its head* spaced a little from the end of the wire, a tight contact will be made between the head of said member and the inside of the terminal when the latter is pressed into position o'n the wire, even though the wire should not be pressed completely into the terminal ferrule. the head of the cont-act member is within the terminal, any amount of shaking or jarring orworking of .the wire cannot work the contact member out of its connecting position, and as a consequence a substantially perfect electrical contact will always be made between the central conductorI and the terminal.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. l shows a terminal in position on the end of an insulated wire, such, for example, as is used in high ten- Furthermore, since sion `electrical ignition on internal combustion motors;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken along the center line of Fig. l. l

Referring to Fig. 1, I have shown a high 5 tension cable having a central conductor Ill and a heavy insulation II. The end of this cable is cut off substantially square, leaving the conductor I0 and the insulation Il substantially flush on the end. A copper tack I2 is dnserted into 10 the end of the wire, with its point in contactA with the central conductor III and the ferrule I3 of the terminal Ilis then pressed over the end of the cable, and crimped onto the insulation as shown at I5. The crimping holds the terminal 1,-, securely to the end of the cable, while the contact I2 makes a perfect electrical connection between the terminal and the central conductor I0.

Although I have shown in the accompanying drawing, and described above, a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that contact may be made between the central conductor of an insulated wire and a terminal secured thereto in accordance with the present invention, although both wire and the terminal may be of entirely different form, and likewise the particular contact member used may be made of various shapes and materials without departing from the scope of-my invention.

What I claim is:

The combination, adapted for making elec-l trical connection with a terminal, which comprises a stranded wire conductor, a resiliently stretchable insulating sheath thereon extending substantially to the end of the stranded conduc- 37 tor, a contact member having-ahead extending laterally over the end o! the insulating sheath and a shank tapered from said head extending into the stranded conductor between the wires thereof and being at least in part of suiilcient 40 diameter to stretch the insulating sheath Ywhereby said sheath exerts a resilient radial pressure on the tapered shank which tends to extrude the contact member from the conductor, and a terminal connecter having a. cup-shaped ferrule with an electrically conducting portion in its bottom connected to the terminal portion and against which the head of said contact member is pressed by its extrusion from the conductor, the inside of sadferrule being of suiilcient size 5o to readily admit the conductor and its` insulating. sheath with the contact member inserted therein and being secured to the insulating sheath.

ROBERT A. BELL. 

